Pike Road council denies rezoning for Boyin Lakes Phase 5 after residents urge slowdown on growth

The Pike Road Town Council voted on April 2026 to deny a rezoning request for the proposed Boyin Lakes Phase 5 development, after residents and several council members raised concerns about the pace of growth and whether local infrastructure can keep up.

Council Lady Bradshshire moved to deny the rezoning request and was seconded by Council Lady Watley; the motion carried on a voice vote. The request sought to change approximately 122.64 acres from agricultural zoning to R-10 (10,000‑square‑foot minimum lots) for a proposed subdivision that Mr. Rice, representing BSI, said could yield roughly 220–233 lots across multiple phases.

Why it matters: Opponents—including neighborhood representatives and several council members—said approving the rezoning now would shortcut an opportunity to synchronize new development with roads, turn lanes and other public services. "This is a piece of land that's not even in the town of Pike Road," Council Lady Bradshshire said in explaining her motion, adding that the council had a responsibility to "slow down and catch up" on infrastructure and service capacity before adding more housing.

Developer and timeline: Blake Rice, the applicant with BSI, and staff described steps that would follow an approval: surveying, preliminary platting before the planning commission, engineering design, and then phased construction. Rice told the council the phase would likely take 20–22 months from certain development milestones to begin vertical construction and that Boyin Lakes has roughly a year to a year‑and‑a‑half of inventory remaining. "If this was to move forward, you're probably talking 20 to 22 months before a house was started construction," Rice said.

Neighborhood concerns: Von Crossing residents and their HOA president, Dave Leford, urged the council to weigh neighborhood character and quality of life. "We spent our life savings to put down on this house to move out of Von Crossing to get that rural feel," Leford said, describing the prospect of additional development backing up to existing homes.

Town jurisdiction and road connectivity: Council debate also touched on the town's planning jurisdiction and how road stub‑outs work. Rice said local development regulations generally require continuity of public roads as adjacent parcels develop and that the site currently meets fire code and has multiple access points. Town staff clarified that while the comprehensive plan designates the area as appropriate for residential uses, the plan does not set a mandatory timeline for when development must occur.

Outcome and next steps: With the motion to deny carried, the rezoning request was turned down. The transcript records a voice vote but does not include a roll‑call tally. The developer may return with revised proposals or bring a new application in the future; the council noted denial does not place a statutory time limit on bringing the matter back for consideration.

Community context: The discussion occurred against a backdrop of other council actions at the same meeting, including routine street‑light partnership resolutions, bid awards for a trail expansion and a volunteer fire department training facility, and a first reading of a small‑cell (wireless) ordinance.